Voting for the second annual Steam Awards recently concluded, and Valve has now revealed the winners. Although the categories are more unusual than what we're accustomed to seeing from end-of-year awards, that didn't stop the usual suspects from winning.

As you'll see, Steam Awards are not restricted to games released in 2017, and with good reason. Valve recently announced Steam's best-selling games for the year, and many of them, like Rainbow Six Siege, Grand Theft Auto V, and The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, are in some cases multiple years old.

In the Choices Matter category, which is meant to celebrate games that provide you with a range of freedom, The Witcher III came out on top, beating out the likes of Divinity: Original Sin II and Dishonored 2. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds won the Mom's Spaghetti category, which consisted of intense, stressful games like Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and The Evil Within 2.

Garry's Mod, released in 2006, won an award

The Labor of Love award, for older titles with strong continued support, went to Warframe, beating out games such as Team Fortress 2 and Path of Exile. The Suspension of Disbelief category went to Rocket League, while Cuphead, Just Cause 3, and Stardew Valley won other awards. Cuphead was the only game to win more than one award this year, taking home both Best Soundtrack and Even Better Than I Expected. You can see the full list of winners below or on Steam.

Each category consisted of five games that Steam users could vote on. Those five were nominated by users previously, with categories each opening up for a single day during the just-concluded Steam winter sale.

Now that 2017 is officially behind us, Sony has revealed the list of best-selling games on PSN from the past year. The list encompasses the most downloaded PS4 games and DLC throughout 2017, and while many of last year's biggest releases place prominently on the list, there are also a few surprises among them.

The No. 1 best-selling PS4 game in the US was Call of Duty: WWII, the latest installment in Activision's blockbuster franchise. It was followed by another popular shooter published by Activision, Destiny 2. Interestingly, the No. 3 spot was taken by Friday the 13th, while Horizon: Zero Dawn came in at No. 4. Another surprise was Grand Theft Auto V, which rounded out the top five despite being several years old at this point. Europe's top 10 list was largely similar, though the No. 1 spot was taken, unsurprisingly, by FIFA 18.

Call of Duty also dominated the US list of best-selling DLC; No. 1 was the Zombies Chronicles expansion for Black Ops III, while Call of Duty: WWII's season pass took No. 3. Destiny 2 was once again the runner up, with its Expansion Pass coming in at No. 2. Horizon: Zero Dawn's expansion, The Frozen Wilds, was No. 4, while the Battlefield 1 Premium Pass rounded out the top five.

You can see the lists of top 10 best-selling PS4 games and DLC below. The full list of PSN best-sellers in the US can be found here, while Europe's list can be found here.

Best Free PC Games To Play Today

In a world where you don’t have to pay a cent (pence) for amazing games that will last you hours on end, why would you pay full price? That’s the case for the best free games, a category shaped by a multitude of genres to make video games affordable again. Best of all, there’s no need to own an extravagant gaming PC to experience top free games for yourself.

Although you might think you have to be a pirate to play games for free, knowing your way around cracks and torrents and the sites that illegally host them, the truth is that you don’t have to risk jail time to save on games. In fact, we’ve played 45 free games for ourselves that were so good, we would have to classify them as the best.

From massively multiplayer online role-playing games such as Star Wars: The Old Republic to strategic collectible card games along the lines of The Elder Scrolls: Legends, there is a lot to love among our assimilation of the best free games that money can’t buy. Plus, given that we’ve invested time into each of these titles, you can – in good faith – trust our opinions.

1. Planetside 2

Two years before Destiny, back in 2012, we had Planetside 2. It's an epic, all-out first-person battle so impressive, you'll give yourself a quick pinch every time you remember it's completely free. There are in-game purchases of course, but you can still dive into gaming's biggest ever battlefield and be useful with just default gear.

There's simply nothing like taking part in a massed assault on an enemy base and coming out on top, or living in a world where an enemy convoy could appear on the horizon at any second. If you need any proof that 'free' doesn't mean uninspired, Planetside 2 will provide it.

A brief tutorial now points out the ropes, with the Steam Community stepping in to provide guides to the original MOBA. Don't expect a warm welcome or easy learning curve from its sophisticated gameplay mechanics, but bring a few friends and Dota 2 will have you hooked on one of the biggest crazes in PC history.

3. Tribes: Ascend

There's only one thing you can count on in life apart from death and taxes: jetpacks rule. And Tribes: Ascend is the world's premiere online jetpack shooter. Don your jetpack and launch into battle across huge maps, with weapons that take real skill just to land a hit – never mind a kill.

Tribes: Ascend is fast, furious, and absolutely brilliant, and there's no reason to spend any money in the in-game shop if you simply want to hold your own in battle. Though there's plenty of stuff to buy if you do fancy splashing some cash…

You can pay to unlock more classes, weapons and perks, but if you're going to keep it casual you can still have loads of fun with Tribes: Ascend.

4. Path of Exile

In the style of Diablo III, Path of Exile is a free dungeon crawler that's a bit different from most free-to-play games out there. It's not just about whacking real life people until they scream at you in shrill pubescent tones through their Skype headsets.

It's more of a slow-burner than a multiplayer blaster, but give it time and you may well fall in love with this free-to-play loot-gathering hit. There are hidden depths that you only uncover after playing for hours (and hours), and a huge skill tree to slowly pick away at. There are no game-ruining things like real money auction houses here, either.

Instead, even basic loot can be useful because there's always an opportunity to enhance even the simplest weapon with magic. If you got tired of the grind of Diablo III, it's a good one to check out.

5. Star Wars: The Old Republic

Taking over from the original Star Wars MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies in 2011, Star Wars: The Old Republic was not free at release at first. But it has since, like so many games of this kind, adopted the free-to-play model. If you want to get Sith kicks, this is the best way to get them for free.

However, subscriptions are still available, giving you more in-game potential. All the story missions are available without a sub – they just might take you that bit longer.

It's worth the download simply to experience the Star Wars universe from different perspectives, like the hyper-professional Imperial Agent and Bounty Hunter. If you want to go with the dull option and just have a generic Jedi Knight, though, that's fine too.

6. Forza Motorsport 6 Apex

When Xbox head Phil Spencer said he was going to bring the console's best franchises to the PC, he wasn't joking around. Among these notable series is Forza Motorsport.

Shunned by petrol-heads and embraced by gamers, Forza Motorsport may seem like an arcadey offshoot of its biggest rival on PlayStation, but it consistently looks and feels superb nonetheless.

Apex in particular brings a complete Forza Motorsport game to PC players for the first time. Though it’s free-to-play, there is additional content that can be downloaded for a modest price. While it’s not quite the full-fledged experience you can expect on Xbox One, with support for 4K screens and racing wheels, Forza Motorsport 6 Apex is the free-to-play twist we’ve been craving from Microsoft’s long-standing racing series.

7. Killer Instinct

Rare's classic fighting series Killer Instinct may not be the household name it once was, but the ability to play one character for free is enticing nonetheless.

What's more, characters can be purchased a la carte as downloadable content, which means you don't have to shell out a wad of cash unnecessarily for characters you'll never play. And, for the Xbox fans out there, this game is essentially Microsoft's equivalent of Super Smash Bros. and PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale since you can pick up numerous Xbox mascots. These include Arbiter (Halo), Rash (Battletoads) and General RAAM (Gears of War) in addition to a growing catalog of Killer Instinct-specific characters.

While Killer Instinct isn't as popular with the Fighting Game Community, there is a certain novelty of being able to control these classic Xbox-derived characters, and on PC at that.

8. World of Tanks

World of Tanks is a different kind of MMO – the clue being in the title. Team-based, massively multiplayer action with a huge range of war machines to drive into battle awaits, with new players able to join the action immediately.

An upgrade system adds a sense of personalization, while being surrounded by a whole army constantly reminds you that loners don't do well on the battlefield. Get sucked in, though, and you may find you end up spending a chunk of your wages on great big chunks of virtual metal.

While some premium tanks cost just a few dollars, others are more expensive. You can see where maker Wargaming is going to earn some cash from World of Tanks enthusiasts.

9. War Thunder

Think World of Tanks is a bit too arcade-like for your tastes? You need to try out the free game War Thunder. Despite being lesser-known, it's a great alternative to that tank battler. And for an extra sweetener, it throws airplanes into the mix too. As you might expect, they're a great deal of fun.

With a fast enough PC, War Thunder offers visual quality you don't see too often in free-to-play games. You will need to pay some cash to get hold of the more interesting planes and tanks early on, but getting Battlefield-like play for free sounds like a good deal to us.

There are arcade and historical battles on offer – the former is great for a more casual blast while historical battles are more for players with a few hours on their flight card.

10. Rift

While it's no World of Warcraft in terms of whether your friends are still playing it, the free game Rift had its moment – and it's still having it depending on who you ask. It added innovation in a genre that was experiencing little, letting you change your class whenever you feel like it.

The whole game is focused on separating giant boss battles and events that occupy entire zones. It's ambitious, exciting and huge with a dozen inter-dimensional rifts that keep things fresh and unique from other games in the genre.

Grand Theft Auto 5 has been around since September 2013, but is
still insanely popular thanks to the continued GTA Online updates. Still, that
doesn’t mean fans aren’t eager to find out news of a potential GTA 6.

With Red Dead Redemption 2 launching in Spring 2018 the chances of
seeing a new Grand Theft Auto any time soon on are slim.

GTA 5 remains the fastest selling title in videogame history,
earning a staggering $1 billion in its first 24 hours of release. Rockstar’s
latest entry has gone on to sell 60 million copies worldwide across all
platforms, this includes the recent ports for PS4 and Xbox One.

We know almost nothing about GTA 6, but reports suggest it’s
already entered pre-production. A recent leak seemed to suggest an actor had
listed GTA 6 motion capture work on their resume, but this later turned out to
be a hoax, much to the dismay of fans. Now, we remain back at square one, with
much speculation and little concrete information.

GTA 6 Release Date – When is it coming out?

We currently have no details on when GTA 6 will release, and with
Red Dead Redemption 2 launching in 2018 it won’t be for at least another year,
most likely much longer.

GTA 6 News – What’s being said about it?

The first official whiff of information about GTA 6 came from
Rockstar President Leslie Benzies, who teased that the game is in very early
stages of development.

“We don’t know what GTA 6 will be, but we’ve got some ideas”, said
Benzies in an interview with Develop.

Although it’s far from concrete confirmation of what development
stage the game is at, Benzies did give us a few insights into how the idea
process starts.

“It comes from the idea first. Where it is going to be set is the
first question. Then that defines the missions; you’re doing different things
in LA than in New York or Miami. The map and story get worked up together, and
the story is a basic flow of how it works out so you can layer the mission in.”

It’s also worth remembering that by the end of GTA 4’s lifecycle,
Rockstar had already conceived some broad ideas about what GTA 5 would be. The
game started life around 5 years ago, but was only in full production for three
of those.

“We’ve got about 45 years’ worth of ideas we want to do. GTA Online
is the focus right now. There ain’t no rest between finishing 5 and then
Online. Plus we have some things –
stuff, DLC, I don’t know how to describe it exactly – that we’d like to do, and
we’ll pick the right ones.”

The latest GTA 6 gossip though is about the sheer size of the GTA 6
map. According to a new rumour, Rockstar Games could be trying to recreate the
entire of the US with GTA 6, rather than just a single city. With the rumoured
release date tipped to lie somewhere in 2020 (we know, that feels like a
million years away), apparently Rockstar is using that time to recreate the
entire country.

We’d advise that you take this with a large pinch of salt though,
as we doubt you need to take that 100 per cent literally. We reckon GTA 6 might
just feature multiple US locations with the distances between each one cut down
considerably. It could be like how The Crew managed to cover the entire US and
turned it into a navigable map that takes an hour and a half in real time to
drive from one end to the other.

Could this be what’s in store for us in GTA 6? We can only hope.

GTA 6 Story – What’s it about?

As GTA 6 is most likely at least three years away, we
understandably know absolutely nothing about the game’s storyline or gameplay
features.

We’ll keep you posted if we sniff out any teaser titbits, but until
then check out our GTA 6 Wishlist for a few key things we’d love to see in the
game.

A lot of people want to make hilarious Let’s Plays and get as popular on YouTube as PewDiePie. Let’s Plays are essential to any gaming channel, but if they are all you post then it is hard to get attention. There is a lot of competition. Here is a list of YouTube gaming video ideas that might help bring in new viewers.

Reviews – Short or Long

People watch reviews not only while deciding whether to buy a game, but also to see what other gamers think of games they already own. People will like to hear whether you agree with them, as well as your reasoning. A lot of the audience for longer game reviews will be people who have already played the games themselves. You should still avoid spoiling things for viewers that have not.

Do not limit yourself to long, detailed, review videos. Remember that most of your Let’s Plays are going to be over ten minutes and that the average time for the most viewed videos on YouTube is 3 minutes. Consider making short, bite sized, reviews and using them as ‘gateway videos’ to generate interest in your channel and yourself as a gaming personality. You cannot cover an entire game in three minutes or less, but you can give your first impressions of it or review a specific part or feature you have a strong opinion of.

News

Making videos where you report or react to news about gaming is another way to break up your stream of long Let’s Play videos with some shorter content. Remember when making ‘news’ videos that nobody is expecting you to be a serious, dispassionate, reporter. These videos are a chance to show off your personality to newcomers who were looking into the news story and had not watched your actual gaming videos.

Remember to include not only the news, but what you think about it. Are you excited for that new game to come out, or do you think the concept is overdone? Sometimes all viewers will really care about is your reaction.

You can also do short videos about personal news, if it relates to your channel. If you buy a new microphone, or are going on vacation for a while, you should make a dedicated video to let people know even if you mentioned it in your other videos. It is good to have a lot of content, and this way people who do not watch every single one of your videos will not miss out.

How To Videos

A how-to video is not exactly a walkthrough or a Lets Play; it is more focused than that. Rather than covering a huge section of a game you are laser focused on one aspect. You can generate ideas for How To videos by asking your viewers for input once you have a bit of a following, by browsing through gaming forums to see what people are having trouble with, or by thinking about what you had trouble with in a game. Or, you could make a tutorial about something you are really good at. Maybe there’s a confusing weapons upgrading system in a game that you have mastered. Explaining it could make a great video.

Let’s Plays

Let’s Plays are the most common type of gaming video. They are a key element of any gaming channel, and a lot of people are trying to make them. The success of your Let’s Plays will depend a lot on your commentating personality, and it can take a while to start feeling comfortable while you are recording yourself. You may post a couple of very awkward-sounding videos before you start to get better at these.

Popular YouTube gamers can get away with posting pretty long Let’s Plays. While you are still trying to build up a good base of supporters you might want to consider capping your videos at the 10 minute mark so they are less intimidating to people who do not know yet if they want to watch you. If you play for two hours cut that down to the most interesting ten minutes of footage.